Sunderland Empire, 10/01/2022
Good Evening Sunderland! It’s 1962 in Baltimore and Tracy Turnblad is waking up for another day of the same old life in a narrow minded town but still as optimistic as ever about it. An audition comes up for Tracy at a local TV dance show and she wants to take that opportunity to change the world for the better, which doesn’t sit well with some…
Read on for our five reasons why you should see Hairspray on its UK tour!
Sunderland Empire, 20/09/2021
Let’s do the time warp again! The Rocky Horror Show, everyone’s favourite cult hit musical that always seems to be on an endless tour is back around again, this time for us visiting Sunderland Empire. The sci-fi hit follows newly engaged Brad Majors (Ore Oduba) and Janet Weiss (Haley Flaherty) as they visit a castle for help after their car breaks down. From the moment the doorbell rings on the castle they (and the audience) are thrown into the wildest night of their lives, that they’ll remember for a very long time… Wether you’re a mega fan or a “virgin” (never seen the show before) you’re always in for a treat with Rocky Horror. Read on to find out our 5 reasons to see The Rocky Horror Show on it’s UK tour!
Newcastle Theatre Royal, 07/09/2021
HOW VERY! After what feels like forever, Heathers The Musical is finally kicking off its pandemic postponed UK tour. The beginning of the tour is running simultaneously with the West End show, but now that is in its final week in London, we caught Heathers The Musical at Newcastle Theatre Royal!
Based on the 80’s cult classic film ‘Heathers’, the musical tells the story of Veronica Sawyer’s rise to high school popularity by making friends with the baddest bunch, the Heathers. New guy in town, JD sweeps Veronica off her feet, taking her whole world as she knows it from beneath her too. As things go from bad to worse it’s left to Veronica to try and put things right.
This was our first experience of the musical which made for an exciting night! We definitely came away honorary Corn Nuts. Read on to see our 5 reasons to see Heathers The Musical UK Tour!
Newcastle Theatre Royal, 20/08/2021
Theatre is BACK! It feels like such a time for celebration; not only is it back but we are already being treated to brand new shows across the country. Newcastle Theatre Royal has the honour of hosting Disney’s newest musical Bedknobs and Broomsticks on it’s first week of performances so we had to make sure we saw it!
Having seen the 1971 film for the first time last year, it felt exciting to be witnessing a new stage adaptation of an original film that we weren’t too precious about. Bedknobs and Broomsticks tells the story of the orphaned Rawlins children who have been evacuated from World War 2 London to the countryside and are sent to live with the mysterious Eglantine Price (Dianne Pilkington). Their new life quickly reveals itself to be quite the unexpected as they go on an adventure they will never forget – aboard a flying magical bed! The show was a lot of fun, packed with the classic songs you love amidst new ones, stage magic and an adventure for the full family to enjoy. Read on to find out our five reasons to see Bedknobs and Broomsticks!
In what seems like the first of a few “movie to musical” adaptations coming to the West End (Frozen, Moulin Rouge and Mean Girls all awaiting transfers), The Prince of Egypt is a new musical that hasn’t already ran on Broadway (albeit a few other productions across the globe, this version boasts new set, costumes and song “Footprints on the Sand”). With music and lyrics by mastermind Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Wicked) who wrote the songs for the 1998 film, the music alone is bound to be worth the trip.
The show tells the biblical story of Moses (Luke Brady) from his birth until he frees the Hebrew people from the Egyptians and his brother, Ramses (Liam Tamne).
As fans of the original film and Stephen Schwartz’ work, we expected great things. Our experience was mixed as we were stunned by the ensemble but felt the emotional impact of characters didn’t quite hit right at times – overall though, the show was very impressive. Read on to find out our five reasons to see The Prince of Egypt.
The Other Palace, London. 18/02/2020
Ok, so we have some mad, gigantic feelings for this show! Be More Chill, the newly transferred broadway cult hit with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis, book by Joe Tracz and directed by Stephen Brackett who directed the broadway production has opened at The Other Palace in London. We were invited along to press night which we were so excited about as we can’t get enough of the cast recording. The show tells the story of high school ‘loser’ Jeremy Heere (Scott Folan) who just wants to be popular and impress his crush Christine Canigula (Miracle Chance) so goes about it as any normal high school student would and buys a performance enhancing technology pill for $400 and lets a “squip” take over his brain!
We really enjoyed the production. It was so stylish and full of talent, catchy songs and great comedy, it cannot be missed! Keep reading to find our five reasons to see Be More Chill.
Newcastle Theatre Royal, 17/02/2020
Hold onto your wigs and tuck up tight, Priscilla Queen of the Desert The Musical UK tour has rolled into Newcastle Theatre Royal, fashioning the most fantastic wardrobe, covered with glitter and glamour. We were invited to the press night of Priscilla and had no idea what to expect as we had never seen the show, or the 1994 film it is based on (The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert); only that it was a drag jukebox musical and that was enough to perk our interests being big fans of TV hit show RuPaul’s Drag Race. Priscilla tells the story of two drag queens, Mitzi-Mitosis (Joe McFadden) and Felicia-Jollygoodfellow (Nick Hayes) with Mitzi’s transgender friend Bernadette Bassenger (Miles Western) who take a troubled road trip across the Australian outback in an old bus (Priscilla) to do a series of performances for the benefit of Mitzi (McFadden). The show was full of hits, colour and drag queen humour and is just a really fun night out, especially for fans of drag shows! Read on for our five reasons to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert!
★★★★
Sunderland Empire, 11/02/2020
The hiiiills are aliiiiveee with The Sound of Music UK tour coming to Sunderland Empire! The classic musical based on memoirs of the real Maria that has since been adapted into a beloved film has just started its 2020 UK tour and we were invited to see it at the press night! Set in Austria in the late 1930’s, a young postulant Maria is sent away from the abbey she resides in to look after 7 children of a widowed Captain. Upon finding that the household is ruled in a regimented manner, Maria soon imparts her love for music into the home to bring joy to this disjointed family. As we both love the film (how can any musical fan not?) and the songs are timeless, we expected good things. The show was a great example of classic musical theatre that can bring in a sizeable audience of loving fans year after year. Packed with talent from all ages and those unforgettable tunes, we really enjoyed the performance. Read on for our five reasons to see The Sound of Music on it’s UK tour!
★★★★
Newcastle Theatre Royal, 30/01/2020
Mamma Mia, how can we resist it? The smash hit musical with millions of fans across the globe is currently on it’s 2020 UK and International tour and has stopped off in Newcastle upon Tyne at the Theatre Royal! We were invited to an exclusive backstage tour and chat with the cast before seeing the show. We have a vlog out too at the bottom of this page!
The story of Mamma Mia is notorious. Sophie Sheridan (Emma Mullen), a young bride-to-be who lives on a Greek island with her single mother, Donna (Sharon Sexton) invites three men to her wedding who she thinks one may be her father after finding her mother’s old diary. Simple solution really! We thought the show was fabulous, filled with an excellent cast and such a treat. Read on for our five reasons to see it…
★★★★
Sunderland Empire, 28/01/2020
“Willkommen! And bienvenue! Welcome!” The revival of Cabaret from Kander and Ebb (Chicago, Curtains) with the book by Joe Masteroff (She Loves Me) is in the middle of it’s second UK tour, where we were invited to see it at Sunderland Empire. Bill Kenwright’s production stars John Partridge (Chicago, La Cage Aux Follies) as Emcee, Kara Lily Hayworth (Cilla The Musical) as Sally Bowles and Anita Harris (Stepping Out, Cats) as Fraulein Schnider. In 1930, American novelist Cliff Bradshaw (Charles Hagerty) arrives in Berlin and spends his first night at the Kit Kat Club where he meets the infamous Sally Bowles (Hayworth) as she takes to the stage. Their acquaintance grows amidst the birth of the Nazi party as politics begins to reveal the cracks in relationships of the residents of Berlin.
We absolutely loved the show and felt it was totally entertaining and really dramatic too. This UK tour is not to be missed! Read on for our five reasons to see Cabaret!
The Stagey Couple 